deibid: Sorry about the novato comment...I was referring to your time as a MM member, not to your intellect and passion on this topic. No offense meant, amigo.

By the way, I'll never be a Californian. I just moved here ten years ago...prior to that I lived in Spain. However, if I apply your logic, I suppose I'm a Spaniard since I lived there, as I'm a Californian for living here... That's actually kind of cool...

I'm not offended by anything posted here, and my purpose is not to propogate and political agenda, just to stimulate debate. According to Fernando's latest post, it doesn't seem to be working. That's just Fernando being Fernando, though.

Since I'll never meet most of you, I have neither the time nor energy to devote to getting heated over something someone might say about me. Usually I post my thoughts and periodically, like with this thread, I need a little diversion and get more involved than normal. I enjoy reading the varying opinions on this board and frankly wish that more would share what they think. I'm afraid, however, that since many don't know both sides, or are so indoctrinated to one or the other, they won't post for fear of being dragged through the mud. I don't have that problem. Drag away [Fernando]:

Monsieur Fernando wrote:
Quote:
Cali the problem is that I have been here during the last 3 years and I have readen many of your posts to perfectly know that you sympathize with basque nationalists and ETA's objectives.
Wow. That's a pretty strong statement. Sympathize? ETA's objectives? Look a little harder and you'll find posts written by me that denounce terrorism. I would say at the same time, though, that since "government" won't dialogue with "terrorists" that these "terrorists" probably have resigned themselves that "terror" is their only avenue left to have their grievances heard. Maybe they should post on MM and get their feelings out.

Please note that in the last paragraph that by stating that governments won't negotiate with terrorists, I in no way imply that they should, or that terrorists should continue to sow terror. Again, simply for the sake of trying to understand why people do what they do, I offer that as a possible explanation. This no more makes me an etarra than if I step into Eroski and ask "Does anyone have any titadyne?"

deibid: As for "have I ever" it looks like we have more in common than we thought, as I have "people on both sides" in my family as well. I reiterate my purpose as simply putting both sides out there. Nowhere in my profile have I ever asked anyone to agree with me.

It is a little foolish to not try to get inside the mind of the purported killer to understand the genesis of his/her propensity to kill, opting instead for a convenient societal label that makes one feel good since it reduces the conflict to a "no gray area" black and white/right vs. wrong conflict.

To polarize the ideology as such is dangerous, as by doing so you must admit that one side is only capable of injustice, void of any virtue, and the other only acts in a virtuous way, never straying from the path of that which is just. I would hope that we could both agree that each side, no matter whether we agree 100% or not with their ideology, is not above a little virtue/a little vice.

And now for the closer from Fernando's keyboard:

Quote:
let me tell you that one of my grandfathers was imprisoned in a concentration camp by Franco for four years.
Was your grandfather castellano or catalan?
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Ongi etorri!